Yuna's Hope
by Final Fantasy Gal
Summary: After defeating Sin two years ago, High Summoner Yuna is now a sphere hunter, along with her cousin Rikku and a new, mysterious woman. She is on a quest to find "him" again, and to save Spira once more.


Yuna found herself in the Macalania Forest. She could see a distinct figure in the distance. She ran to it, with open arms.  
She ran and ran, as fast as a cheetah, though the figure seemed to be moving away from her. She grew tired, and collapsed. The dark, misty trees began to close in on her.  
Yuna woke with a start. She sat up on the bed, beads of sticky sweat dripping down her face.  
It was only a dream, she thought. She looked to the bed to her left. Paine was sound asleep. She turned to her right. Rikku kicked the sheets off her bed, mumbling something in Al Bhed. Yuna steadied her breathing, and got up. She changed into her clothes, and quietly walked down the steps. She took the air ship Celsius' elevator to the deck.  
Yuna, with her hands behind her back, paced the deck, with the wind on her face. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.  
"Why did you have to leave?" Yuna shouted into thin air. "You could have stayed!"  
Yuna began crying loudly, and fell on the deck, on all fours. "Why?" she screamed.  
Yuna heard footsteps behind her. Rikku put her hand on Yuna's back.  
"Did you have another nightmare?" Rikku asked.  
Yuna nodded, wiping the tears from her face. She saw Paine running toward them.  
"Yunie had another nightmare," Rikku explained.  
Paine sighed, "Not again."  
Yuna told the two about her dream. Rikku hugged Yuna.  
"Yunie.It's okay. We'll find him," Rikku said.  
Yuna nodded, and asked to be alone. She recalled the day Tidus disappeared. She could still feel his gentle touch on her shoulder. She could still feel his warm, tingling breath when he held her. She remembered that night in the lake in Macalania, the night she and Tidus first expressed their love for each other, the night that she will always remember.  
"I miss you," she said softly.  
Rikku reappeared moments later.  
"Breakfast!" she said happily.  
Yuna met the other Gullwings, her sphere hunting group, in the cabin- Shinra, the little Al Bhed boy who "knows everything," Brother, Rikku's brother and the captain of the Gullwings, and Buddy, another Al Bhed who seems to be the only sane person on the ship.  
"How are you feeling, Yuna? Paine told me you had a nightmare," Buddy said at the table.  
"Better.it's just a dream." Yuna replied.  
The Gullwings ate in awkward silence. As breakfast ended, Buddy heard a signal come from his control panel. He ran over to it.  
"Hey guys! Got something for ya! It's a sphere at Mt. Gagazet!" Buddy announced happily.  
Paine, Yuna, and Rikku ran over to Buddy. Rikku smiled.  
"Let's go!" she said.  
Brother put his hand on Yuna's shoulder. "Be careful, Yuna," he said.  
Rikku smacked her head, grunting.  
"Want me to hurt him?" Paine said.  
Yuna shook her head. Brother jumped into the cockpit, and flew the Celsius down to Mt. Gagazet.  
Mt. Gagazet, Yuna thought. When I was with him there, I thought that after that, I would never see him again.  
The Celsius hovered over the snowy, white landscape of the homeland of the Ronso. Paine let down a long, rope ladder, and the three girls climbed down it, landing softly on the ground.  
Yuna radioed Buddy. "Where's the sphere?"  
"Hold on a sec.ah! Here! It is on the mountain trail near the Fayth Scar," Buddy replied.  
Rikku nodded and smiled. "Let's go!"  
The trio ran to the Fayth Scar. As they passed a small cave, Yuna glanced into it.  
"Let's check this out," she said, peering into the dark, dripping cavern.  
Carefully, Yuna stepped into the cave. She beckoned Rikku and Paine to come in. Paine drew her sword. Rikku looked at her oddly, shaking her head.  
"Just in case," Paine said quietly.  
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine stayed close together while surveying the cave. They monitored each step carefully, as they made their way to an intersection with three passageways in the foggy, sticky cave. Yuna began towards the tunnel to the left, and Rikku made her way to the central tunnel.  
Paine jumped in front of them both. "Whoa, whoa, this isn't gonna work. We need to stick together. Let's check out the left tunnel first."  
Yuna and Rikku agreed, and they continued into the murky darkness.  
About halfway into the cavern, they saw a snow flan. It cast Blizzard on them, but the trio was quick and leaped out of the way.  
Yuna smiled. "Let's go!"  
Paine drew her sword, and charged at the flan. She sliced it, but that didn't work. Rikku jumped in next, swiping at the enemy with her giant claw-like blades. That didn't help much either.  
Yuna stepped in next, and calmly drew her dual pistols. She fired many shots at blazing speed. The flan disappeared within seconds.  
Rikku laughed, giving Yuna a high-five. Paine smirked. "Haven't seen one of those in a while."  
The three continued on. They searched the entire cave, finding nothing.  
Rikku, Paine, and Yuna continued along the mountainous trail. They met Kimahri, Yuna's past guardian, who is now the Ronso Elder, or leader of the Ronso. In the past, he was ridiculed because he had a broken horn, which was considered a disgrace in the Ronso tribe.  
Yuna ran up and hugged Kimahri. Though he had a large build, he was still smaller than most of the other Ronso.  
"Kimahri glad to see Yuna happy," Kimahri said, in his rough, monotonous voice.  
Rikku waved to him. "Nice to see ya, Kimahri!"  
Paine nodded, acknowledging Kimahri's presence. Sometimes, that is her way of greeting someone. Paine is a mysterious young woman, who never likes to discuss her past. Her sarcasm and dark personality matches her silver hair, red eyes, and black leather outfit.  
"How are things, Kimahri?" Yuna asked.  
Kimahri sighed. "Things not going well for Ronso. Little Ronso want revenge on Guado. Kimahri cannot control what youth Ronso do. Some youth ran away to find Guado."  
When Yuna was a summoner, the Guado treated the Ronso horribly. That caused bitter relations between them.  
Rikku shook her head. Her blonde braids dangled, with colorful beads at the ends. She placed her hands on her hips, right above her dark green miniskirt. Her yellow bikini top glistened in the bright sun.  
"Man.things have gotten worse between the Guado and the Ronso." Rikku said, glancing down.  
Kimahri nodded. "Terrible times for us, Yuna."  
"Have you seen any spheres around, Kimahri?" Yuna asked.  
"Sorry, Kimahri has not. Ronso do not climb mountain much anymore. Sphere hunters invaded sacred Gagazet." Kimahri sighed.  
Yuna, Paine, and Rikku said goodbye to Kimahri, and began climbing Gagazet again.  
The trio reached the Fayth Scar with ease. Yuna radioed Buddy.  
"So? Where's the sphere?" Yuna asked through the static.  
Buddy responded, sighing. "You see that huge wall of rocks? Climb it, and when you reach a cave, go all the way to the end, and it'll be there!"  
Paine glanced up the huge rock wall. "We have to climb that? Sounds like fun."  
Rikku stared at Paine. "Fun?" she said, wincing.  
Yuna laughed. "Come on, Rikku! We've done this stuff before!"  
Yuna began to ascend the steep rock wall. Her blue and white "half-a- skirt" and her braid, wrapped in red silk and as long as she is, scraped against the rocks. Her white halter-top grew dusty.  
Rikku shrugged at Paine, and began to climb. Paine started up the wall, too.  
After a grueling climb up the wall, the girls reached a small cave opening. Rikku looked inside. "Shall we go?"  
Paine nodded, and they went into the cave.  
At first, the pitch black cave was small, and the Gullwings could not find their way around. Finally, aggravated, Paine lit a match, and they were able to see. The cave grew larger with every step, and so did the dangers.  
Yuna heard something scurrying up the dripping walls. She grabbed one of her pistols, holding it close to her. Paine heard the sound too, and pointed the match at the wall. Yuna saw a large lizard climbing the wall. It shot a poisonous fluid at them, which barely missed Rikku.  
"Take care of it, Yunie!" Rikku said.  
Yuna aimed her pistol at the lizard, and with one shot, won the battle already. She blew the top of her gun, and put it back in its holster. Rikku jumped in the air, saying "Yay!" Paine shook her head, rolling her eyes.  
"Let's keep moving!" Paine said.  
Paine moved ahead, leading the way for Rikku and Yuna. The journey to the end of the cave was short.  
Once they made it to the end, they peered inside, and saw the Leblanc Syndicate. They are a rival sphere hunting group, made up of Leblanc, a blonde haired, bossy woman, Logos, a tall, rather intelligent man, and Ormi, a small, plump barrel of a man. Leblanc was wearing her usual purple- pink suit-like outfit, with a red heart in the middle of her chest. The trio leaned closer to hear.  
Leblanc laughed. "Logos! Ormi! Very good work! I will watch is as soon as we get back to the chateau!"  
Ormi smirked. "Anything for you, boss!"  
"Shall I gather up the fem-goons?" Logos asked.  
Goons are the sphere-hunters in Leblanc's group. There are goons and fem-goons, which are female goons. There are also Mr. Goons, which are much stronger than regular goons, and Mrs. Goons, who are more powerful than fem- goons.  
Leblanc nodded. "Please, do so."  
Leblanc handed a small, orange and glowing sphere to Ormi, who placed it in his pocket. Logos exited the small room, and Rikku, Yuna, and Paine, stood back, and he missed them.  
Leblanc followed, and then Ormi, and they too did not see the Gullwings. But something dropped out of Ormi's pocket.  
"The sphere!" Rikku whispered.  
Paine and Yuna smirked, and as soon at the Leblanc Syndicate were gone, the three grabbed the sphere.  
"Should we watch it?" Paine asked.  
Yuna, smiling, turned it on.  
Though the picture was fuzzy, it looked like Mt. Gagazet at night, right on the Fayth Scar, where Yuna once battled "Maester-gone-bad" Seymour Guado. A man's voice, much resembling Logos', spoke.  
"Ormi! Come here!"  
Ormi came into the picture, nodding. The sphere turned off briefly, then turned on again, showing a giant, dark room, with some huge machine.  
"The boss is gonna love this!" Ormi said happily.  
Logos cleared his throat. "Hmm.better explain what is going on here so that Leblanc knows.erm.anyway, we are here, underneath Mt. Gagazet.ahem.and.this is a gigantic machina that we found. We are uhh.not sure what it is for, or who is in control of it.but.uhh.maybe this sphere is worth something, since we ahh.found the machina."  
Ormi sighed loudly. "Let's go before someone comes!"  
The sphere turned off.  
Yuna stood up, shaking her head. "Machina? Underneath Mt. Gagazet?"  
Rikku leapt up also. "That's crazy."  
Paine folded her arms. ".but possible."  
Yuna stored the sphere in her pocket, and they were off again.  
After some time, the girls reached the mountain gate, where Kimahri and other Ronso were talking. Kimahri turned to them and grinned.  
"Kimahri hopes Yuna found sphere," he said.  
Rikku nodded, grabbing the sphere from Yuna's pocket.  
"Rikku, be careful!" Yuna told her.  
Rikku held it in the air. "Yunie, don't worry!"  
The other Ronso gazed at the sphere. A large, tough looking Ronso walked up to Yuna.  
"Lady Yuna, what is in sphere?" the Ronso asked.  
Kimahri put his large paw-like hand on the huge Ronso's shoulder.  
"Garik. Maybe Gullwings wish to keep content secret?" he said.  
Garik sighed, and walked away.  
Yuna took the sphere from Rikku, and turned it over in her hands, studying it carefully.  
Paine grabbed Yuna's radio, and called Buddy. "Okay, we found the sphere. We were able to view it down here. Bring the ship down."  
Back on the ship, Shinra analyzed the sphere.  
"Okay, folks. It was made a day ago, obviously by Leblanc's sidekicks. It shows some secret underground room, containing an old machina, probably about a thousand years old or so."  
Paine shook her head. "Who is using it, though? It looks dangerous.and fun."  
Brother cracked his knuckles. "It looks like a weapon, to me."  
"Should we go look for it?" Rikku asked.  
Shinra shook his head furiously. "No.no! It's way too dangerous.we need to gather more information."  
Yuna began pacing the bridge, thinking. "Perhaps we should go to Leblanc's chateau in Guadosalam? Maybe we can compromise with them for information?"  
Paine held her hand up. "Compromise? With THEM? Impossible, I say."  
"Well, it's worth a shot!" Rikku said enthusiastically.  
"Alright then. I'll take you down to Guadosalam!" Buddy said, running to the cockpit.  
The Celsius flew down to Guadosalam. Originally, it was the home of the Guado, but since they caused so much havoc, and since Yevon was corrupt, people of various other races drove the Guado out of their tunneled, underground homeland. 


End file.
